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These people have been part of a mission experience. They
speak English well, but are, at the same time, contexted into
traditional ways.
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One important difference between the Aboriginal ’world’ of
Adelaide and the ’world’ of Pt'. Augusta is that the latter does
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not have sub-groups of kinspeople as large as those of Point
Pearce and Point McLeay.
It is easier to speak of a ,community’ in Pt. Augusta, in
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that the size of the’ population allows Aboriginal people to be
visible and known to each other.
There are a number of bodies funded by the Department of
Aboriginal Affairs within which Aboriginal people exert considerable
authority and influence.
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Aboriginal people work with Legal Aid, the Department of Health,
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Department of Community Welfare, Commonwealth Employment Service, the
Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Aboriginal Housing. Aboriginal
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people administer Davenport reserve and the educational programmes
there. They administer rehabilitation centres for alcoholics and
homes for the aged. They are a band of most impressive people,
successful in their jobs, visible as a group to both Aborigines
and non-Aborigines.
The agencies for Aboriginal people parallel those of white
society - housing, health, welfare employment, legal aid, all have
Aboriginal people serving Aboriginal people. All these agencies
have representation on a panel which meets regularly to decide on
priorities and policy.
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There is a feeling of great cohesion within the group which
permits the articulation of theory, both to the Aboriginal world
and the white world, and thus prevents a disintegration into
factionalism.
In the Adelaide situation it is not possible to trace the
same factors of cohesion and the same possibility of exercising
autonomy that is found in Pt. Augusta.